GIRCA, in Tbilisi, has informed us that due to the winter season in Georgia, road M3 Kazbegi-Tbilisi is currently closed to heavy vehicles (trucks and coaches); it is therefore impossible to use the border crossing point between Russia and Georgia at Verkhny Lars (RUS)-Kazbegi (GEO).
Alternative routes:
Ferries Novorossyisk (RUS)-Poti (GEO)
Illychevsk (UA)-Poti (GEO)
Source International Road Transport Union
This brings back memories because in 1998 I delivered an aircraft refuelling tanker to Tbilisi airport in Georgia. I collected it from Hampton Court, shipped Dover-Calais, drove down through France and Switzerland into Italy, caught the Superfast ferry from Ancona to Patras, drove through Greece into Bulgaria, then caught the ferry across the Black Sea from Burgas to Poti.
Then I drove, under very heavy armed guard, through the night to Tbilisi.
After I had delivered the rig (a day-cabbed Volvo F10 with a fuel tanker trailer) to Tbilisi airport I flew home, via Moscow.
The job was projected to take ten days but ended up taking 21. Because of the various delays, my Russian visa expired, and I was arrested at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow as I changed flights because my visa was now out of date and I needed to cross Russian territory to get from one side of the airport to the other.
After being arrested, I was kept in a detention centre overnight, interrogated by the FSB (the modern equivalent to the KGB) and in the morning I was served with a deportation notice and marched onto the Aeroflot flight to London under armed guard, told never to darken Russia’s doorstep again. I never did.
Still, it beats delivering to Tesco! 
Vince
Wow!!! you have been visit to Georgia, my dream is driving to Georgia from UK, you have any photos of this trips ? do you been use ferry by Bulgaria - Burgas to Poti by Willi Betz Ferry Opertator ?
like this one pic
Have you see lots of Willi Betz lorries in Georiga ■■
Cheers Ben,
I am sure glad the Irish ferrys dont park you up like that one big wave and your gone!! 
Hello Ben, I have been on that ferry- the boat in the picture is called the “MV Sredez”. It sails from Burgas to Poti and takes two days. Plus a bit more if there are technical difficulties- as there often are.
Lots of Willi Betz drivers on every crossing- It was me who was the rarity when I visited.
You will often see very negative postings about Betz drivers on TruckNet, but in my experience, they are-or at least were- the most helpful and knowledgeable drivers you could ever wish to meet on the road.
Here’s the visa that Georgia charges nearly £100 for, proving once again the old, old story- the cruddier the country, the flashier the visa!
Vince